Traffic Signal Accident Investigation
When traffic lights display mixed signals, the results can be costly.
We regularly depend on just three colors for the safe navigation of the world’s freeways, highways and suburban thoroughfares. Red, yellow and green. It couldn’t be any simpler. And yet, the reality is that the underlying technology and programming behind the display of these three colors is far from simple.
As drivers and passengers, we see the end result and do not appreciate the web of factors that comprise a properly operating traffic signal. State-of-the-art electronics, technicians and engineers with years of training, and codes/standards resulting from decades of research and experience all factor into which colors are displayed, and when. Many times when accidents occur, we can only begin to understand why if we first untangle this web.
Our understanding of traffic signal operation as well as applicable codes and standards can be an invaluable tool when it comes to evaluating the veracity of witness statements as they relate to an accident. Who had the right-of-way? For how long? At S-E-A, we rely on much more than the information readily available to the naked eye.
S-E-A employs traffic signal experts who have worked for major traffic signal equipment suppliers and are experienced in the installation, programming, commissioning and testing of a wide range of traffic signal equipment – ranging from traffic controllers and conflict monitors to vehicle detectors and signal heads. With years of relevant experience in acquiring and analyzing traffic signal information and providing expert witness testimony, S-E-A's electrical and civil engineers can assess every aspect of a system – from design to installation and maintenance – in order to determine what role a traffic signal system may have played in an accident. S-E-A’s experience includes the evaluation of “yellow trap” scenarios, pedestrian issues, equipment malfunction, and issues involving traffic signals near railroad crossings.
